Cabinet will be asked to approve a new Housing Strategy at its meeting this evening.

Members will also be asked to agree a project plan which sets out exactly what will be done over the next 12 months to improve the supply and quality of housing and the support offered to residents in housing need.

The strategy went out for a six-week public and stakeholder consultation at the end of last year and nearly 300 comments and suggestions were made by respondents.

Online survey results generally endorsed the three priorities set out in the strategy – improving housing supply, quality and support.

They also supported three principles – putting customers first, tackling climate change and working in partnership.

The project plan looks at addressing supply problems in several ways. These include progressing stalled development sites, reducing the number of empty homes and delivering a rightsizing project to free up 16 homes for larger families.

Tackling disrepair and poor housing conditions, targeting non-compliant landlords and improving energy efficiency will help enhance the quality of accommodation.

Some of the ways we will improve support for people include lobbying to increase local housing allowance rates, developing a homelessness and rough sleeping strategy and formalising a rent guarantor scheme for care experienced young people.

Councillor Swithin Long, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Housing, said: “We face a housing crisis here in Torbay. There’s been a big rise in the number of people needing affordable temporary and permanent accommodation, yet there is a shortage of properties.

“The cost of living has made the problem worse as households are struggling to pay rising rents.

“At the same time, we have many properties laying empty and others in a state of disrepair. We also have families who are living in homes that are too small for their needs, while others are struggling to manage because they are in homes which are too big for them.”

Councillor Darren Cowell, Deputy Leader of Torbay Council, said: “Affordable housing is key to attracting and retaining our workforce and boosting the local economy.

“We’ll continue to work with partners to identify sites which will deliver affordable housing. We recently purchased the first of 37 homes to meet the current demand for temporary accommodation and the first occupants have now moved in.

“Next week is Empty Homes Week and we’ll be prioritising bringing vacant properties back into use. It’s something we know residents are concerned about, and so are we.”

Torbay currently has more than 1,600 households registered with Devon Home Choice who need a permanent home, as well as around 80 cared for children in a similar position. Need on the Housing Register increased by 50% since 2018.

There are currently around 180 households in Torbay in temporary accommodation, with more than 50% being families.

Torbay only has 8% of social housing compared with the national average of 18%. It also has a higher proportion of privately rented homes at 27%, comparted to 20% across England.

News archive

2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014